Busy families on the go prefer to take their children on family expeditions of all types, whether traveling to relatives, other parts of their country, or even foreign countries. When traveling with children, it is highly convenient to include wetted disposable tissues or wipes for cleaning and sanitation purposes. These wipes may include baby wipes, kitchen wipes, or general-purpose cleaning wipes. Packages of such wipes should be small and convenient for packing and travel. In addition, packs of the wipes should be flexible and able to fit into a small space within a travel bag or suitcase. Thus, a flexible container in a soft-pack is preferable to a larger pack with a hard plastic cylinder or rounded rectangular tub. These large, hard packages will not fit conveniently into consumers' travel plans or for consumers with limited space available.
Of course, it goes without saying that the package of wipes, once opened, should be able to retain its moisture, and thus its cleaning ability, as well as the lotions, scents, or other products that are incorporated into the wetted wipes. A large package with 200-300 wipes can more easily bear the cost of a reliable and expensive closure that includes a good moisture seal. A small flexible package of wipes will only be practical if the opening or seal of the package is both inexpensive and effective. The prior art shows many attempts at such seals. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,221 discloses a covering plate with a hinged lid for applying to a large container of wetted tissues or wipes. The cover includes a top plate and a hinged lid, and the cover extends to enclose a top of an entire container of wipes. This product is complicated, and will be too expensive and heavy for the use that is desired. U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,298 is similar to the '221 patent, in that the dispensing cover disclosed is designed to fit over an entire, large container. This cover will also be heavy and inconvenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,544 may be even further from the mark, disclosing an entire container with a lid. The container and lid include a fairly complicated sealing and locking mechanism. Products made in accordance with this disclosure will seal well, but will not be flexible or convenient for travel and quick access to the wetted wipes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,498 has a similar disclosure, with a dispenser having a container and a lid. This dispenser will also be relatively expensive and rigid, as opposed to the desired flexible and inexpensive lids sought by consumers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,902,077 and 7,021,483 are similar, disclosing a rigid, heavy container for wetted wipes. These patents include a complicated hinging mechanism, and include ribs for additional stability and rigidity, rather than the desired flexibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,349 discloses another relatively rigid container and lid with an elastomeric spring to help pop open the lid when a user depresses a latch. U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,118 teaches a closure for a container, rather than an entire container and closure, per the discussions above. However, while wetted wipes or cloths are discussed, there is no provision for a seal between the closure and the container to which it will be fitted, except for a tight fit between the two. This may be achieved by using dimensions with tight tolerances for fitting the closure onto the container. The closure will thus be both relatively expensive and relatively rigid.
As noted above, the prior art discloses rigid containers and relatively rigid and complicated seals for those containers, but does not teach a cover only, the cover relatively flexible and sufficiently simple to be cost effective in today's competitive, cost-conscious markets. The present invention provides such a simple, flexible, and easy-to-open cover. These and other advantages, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the embodiments provided herein.